Enable pre-orders

Some features described on this page may not be available, as selling books on Google Play is limited to certain countries.

Pre-orders allow customers to order -- but not read -- your book before its release date. On the release date, customers who pre-ordered your book are charged for the purchase and they gain access to the book. Enabling pre-orders can help increase exposure and sales for a book.

Settings to enable pre-orders

Your book will be available for pre-order sales if you specify a future On Sale Date either on the Settings tab for a book or by using a spreadsheet, and you provide all other necessary settings and content.

Due to variable processing times and other factors, Google cannot guarantee that a book will be available for pre-order sales during a specific time range. We recommend that you send us your book as soon as you are able. As it can take a matter of weeks to process a PDF or ePub file, please plan accordingly.

Note: If your book's price changes, Google will cancel any existing pre-orders and notify customers. Please keep this in mind as you consider making any changes to your prices. Customers will be able to pre-order the book again once any new price appears on the live site.

Status of pre-orders within your account and on Google Play

When your book is available for pre-order, its status will display as Live on Google Play in your Book Catalog. When you view the book on Google Play, you'll see a "Pre-order" button with the price. Note that potential buyers won't have the option to read a sample of the book until the on-sale date.

Pre-orders are tracked in your sales transaction reports, where you can see if a pre-order has been placed, fulfilled, or canceled. Because customers are not charged for pre-orders until the release date, these purchases will only appear in your sales summary reports once the books have been digitally delivered to the customers. We are currently working to offer more direct reports and insights into pre-orders within your account.

Guided help with Google Books

The following articles may help you resolve your issue right away. If the articles don't address your issue, try the contact options below. You can quickly return to this page after visiting an article.

Still need help? To contact the support team, click below.

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